Runway Survivor

Reality Tv Meets Fashion Design In New Bravo Show Planned For Fall.

July 1, 2004|By Rod Stafford Hagwood Fashion Editor

Unscripted television is hypnotic, because it is a mix of the real and the unreal. The epiphany was the climax of The Apprentice where the boardroom turned out to be a studio set after all, complete with a giddy studio audience. Was it a dream, Dorothy? You were there. And you were there. And you were there.

Designer runways, and indeed the fashion world (read: haute commercialism) are also hypnotic. But designers do it by tapping into our dreams, hopes, ambitions, and sometimes even our fears. The process is, almost by definition, surreal.

Now a proposed reality show on the fab-friendly Bravo channel (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Blow Out) is going to throw the two worlds together in Manhattan with Project Runway. The program, scheduled for this fall, will focus the unblinking eye of the TV camera on the process of a designer putting a collection together for the fall designer catwalk shows staged in February. And there's a good chance that some of the cast for the show will be found in South Florida.

"We found a lot of possibilities here. We're seeing diversity and it shows that this is a really happening city," said Mary Gehlhar, fashion director for Gen Art, a national nonprofit group promoting emerging talent in fashion, film and the visual arts. Gen Art, with its extensive contacts and street cred (they helped discover designers Louis Verdad, Zac Posen and Rebecca Taylor) was asked to conduct the open call auditions in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and, finally, Miami last Friday.

"I think it shows that fashion is more universal, that we can find talent in these other cities. It shows that you don't have to be in New York anymore. And we're finding a nice wide range of aesthetics here and that's always nice to have," said Gehlhar, who oversaw the auditions nationwide.

Gen Art, along with Miramax Television, Project Greenlight (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's starter-upper), Elle magazine and Bravo Television are teaming up for Project Runway. The host will be Heidi Klum, of Sports Illustrated swimsuit fame.

The series will follow 12 up-and-coming designers as they complete weekly design challenges (from re-doing NYPD uniforms to whipping up a dress fit for New York nightlife). Contestants will be cut weekly -- literally voted off Manhattan Island -- until only three remain. That triumvirate of talent will then debut their collections on the runway at New York's Fashion Week in February 2005. The winner's designs will be photographed for an Elle magazine spread by front-row shutterbug Gilles Bensimon . The winner will also have a chance to manufacture for a retail showcase, launch support and a mentorship from the design team from Banana Republic stores.

"If Bravo, Miramax and Elle were owned by the same parent company, this would be a real achievement," said Carol Smith, senior vice-president at Elle. "That we've come together independently is nothing short of remarkable. We're looking forward to the series and the opportunities it brings to redefine print, TV and online synergy."

More than 158 designers brought their wares (often on best-friend models) to show to a panel of judges ensconced in a meeting room of the Fontainebleau Hilton Resort (where a similar audition for American Idol was held last year). Downstairs, designers such as Grizzelle James came from Atlanta to audition as a contestant, even though she already has a busy showroom (Outkast, Whitney Houston) and is profiled in the July issue of Lucky magazine.

"Well, when you're the last of 20 people to audition, they only spend about three minutes with you," James said. "They were really tired. But I made a lot of contacts and met a lot of people. I plan to come back often and soon to do some business here. My designs are more resortwear, so I design for the kind of people who take cruises and stay in resorts like those in Miami, Boca Raton and Palm Beach."

Contestants were told at the casting calls if they were to go on to the semifinals. If so, the next step is to submit a video and some other biographical information. In the next two weeks, those videos and the samples shown during the casting call will help judges (also including Klum, author Constance White and designer Michael Kors) to select the final 12.

"We're looking for a personality," Cortazar said. "But we're really looking for talent, all kinds of talent from all kinds of people."

Lasker added that many designers may have lost points because of unfocused collections.

"What it comes down to is we need someone who can come up with about 30 looks for the final collection," said Lasker. "It might be a good collection, but can you take it to the runways? Believe me, we've seen the good, the bad and the ugly."

But they didn't see everyone.

"I saw the commercial on Bravo about a month ago," said Hollywood resident and designer Florennzzio Tobiani. "I went online to find out more details and the Web site wasn't very explicit. It kept saying it would be updated and check back soon."

Tobiani said that while his portfolio had designs for women, his actual samples were of his menswear. In fact, he was wearing them. Once Tobiani finally got to the pre-interview, he said he was told that since a judge was from Elle magazine they really needed women's wear samples.

"They said that if there was a judge from GQ there that I would be perfect," Tobiani said. "I wanted to be on TV to show my accomplishments. And I wanted to win."

Rod Stafford Hagwood can be reached at fashionguy@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4721.